Michael Sokol

To understand a problem fully, I need to visualize it. To map it. I need space to group thing together. I feel like simply writing is very limitating. Keeping it all in your head doesn't help either. That's why I've always been a huge fan of diagraming. It's a big part of understanding problems for me. The beauty of it is that we can diagram anywhere. Whiteboards, paper, or on software. Then we can share those diagrams with people and it makes it much more easy for them to understand as well. E...

There are two types of questions. The first kind allows you to gather information. They let you get factual data from the person you are asking it to. They are easy to answer if you have the information, and they let you keep the flow. An example of that is a "yes/no" question: "Do you have all the information you need?". The problem with those close-ended question is that they don't allow you to deeply understand the other person. They are great at giving you quick answers but bad at letting y...

Arrive a little late, blame it on starbucks No need to introduce yourself, be straight to the point Avoid setting the agenda, they might question it Don’t do discovery, it’s not about them, it’s about you Take out your laptop, make sure it doesn’t have a lot of battery Bonus point if you actually forget your computer No need for wifi, tethering is fine Spend 10 minutes to find the demo, say a few jokes meanwhile Remember you didn’t prepare anything, so look a little confused Much better if ther...